City College Football Drubs Foothill on Sophomore Night
Jeremiah Nash pulled down a fourth-and-three, 35-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter, a finishing touch on City College’s 38-21 victory over visiting Foothill College on Saturday afternoon.
By Lev Farris Goldenberg
Last year, when Eduardo Yagües Nuño set out to change the culture of Rams football, he had a simple goal in mind:
“We want to be the toughest dudes out there,” the second-year head coach said.
For Nuño and his coaching staff, that means taking accountability. It means working harder than the other guy. It means staying composed when you feel like the referees are against you, and it’s fourth down and your defender is shouting in your face.
And sometimes, being the toughest also means playing for family. So when sophomore wide receiver Jeremiah Nash saw the pass from quarterback Darius Clark-James arcing toward him in the end zone, he knew what he needed to do and who he was doing it for.
Nash pulled down the fourth-and-three, 35-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter, a finishing touch on City College’s 38-21 victory over visiting Foothill College on Saturday afternoon. Then, he sprinted away from his onrushing teammates, high-stepped halfway up the bleachers, and dapped up his 2-year-old nephew, Drew.
“I said if I get a second touchdown, I was gonna celebrate with him,” Nash said. “He’s a little cutie for sure. My biggest fan, my biggest supporter.”
The Rams celebrated Sophomore Night prior to Saturday’s game on Nov. 1, honoring second-year players and their families.
Once the game started, freshman quarterback Clark-James kept sharing the love — the freshman field general tied his season-high with four passing touchdowns, totaling 347 yards and zero interceptions.
“It’s all about the O-line … I couldn’t do what I’m able to do if I didn’t have the line,” Clark-James said. “I love ‘em to death. I’m ‘bout to take them out to eat after this.”
In the first quarter, he hucked a 68-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Imari Conley to start the scoring. Conley led all wideouts with 155 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions.
City’s two leading running backs — Michael Dabney and J.T. Foreman — sat out due to injury, so sophomores Andre Tarver Jr. and Zakkari Black took over rushing duties. Tarver Jr. racked up 83 yards and Black added 39 of his own.
Later in the first quarter, Clark-James handed off to Tarver Jr., who thundered 17 yards to put the Rams up 14-0.
After Foothill cut the score in half on a 10-yard touchdown run by Jordan Fuentes, the D-line put its foot down, holding the Owls scoreless while the Rams went on a 24-0 run. The City defense forced two missed field goals and racked up three interceptions.
In the second quarter, Nash caught a 25-yard touchdown pass (his first of the afternoon). With under two minutes remaining in the half, Clark-James led the Rams on an 80-yard touchdown romp.
The crucial play came on first-and-20 at the Foothill 33-yard line. Nash ran a wide right fade, and Clark-James threw it over his receiver’s head, but Nash leapt into the air, contorted his body, and kept a foot in bounds to haul in the 25-yard catch. Two plays later, Clark-James hit Conley in the endzone with 13 seconds remaining in the half.
“The official told me afterward, once we scored, ‘That is the best catch that I’ve ever seen in junior college football,’ Nuño said.
Nash was not done, and neither was City College.
In the third, sophomore kicker Ryan Rodas nailed a 38-yard field goal. Rodas had a perfect day, also hitting all four of his extra point opportunities. Later in the quarter, Nash’s nephew-approved touchdown catch iced the game.
Did the wide receiver stop to bask in the glow of his season-best performance? Nah.
“My whole mindset is the postseason,” Nash said. “What’s next?”
The Rams’ win — their sixth in a row — puts them at 7-2 overall and 4-0 in the competitive National Bay 6 League. With one game remaining in the regular season, City College secured a share of the Bay 6 title.
On Nov. 7, the Rams head across the Bay to face Diablo Valley College (8-1 overall, 3-1 league). A win would clinch City’s first league title since 2021, and its first with Nuño running the program.
